I have noticed Silverman's idea of a woman’s responsibility to show her husband’s wealth in the display of a woman's wedding ring. Instead of focusing on the beauty of the couple getting engaged, it seems so much attention is put on the size and price of this piece of jewelry. I noticed this especially with celebrity engagements in which there are full page images of a woman and her new ring. It's interesting that something that should be a symbol of love has become a symbol of wealth.
Although I agree that women can typically use their ornate dress to show their status or wealth, I argue that there are still men in many parts of society that "depend upon the gaze of the other" and are fundamentally exhibitionist. Famous rappers are drawn to purchasing the biggest, most expensive pieces of jewelry they can find and parade them all together as an over the top display of wealth. This image has became a part of the culture of the music industry and seems to represent success of the artist. The idea of the more bling the better demonstrate's the strong male desire to gain someone else's approval.
I find your choice of image specifically interesting. Here, Lil Wayne is seems exhibiting only his "bling" while he is not wearing any clothes. Definitely one will look past the fact that there aren't any garments on him, just to look at his material wealth, his diamonds. Not only the material that they are made from, but the shape that these diamonds take in order to establish a reputation. People like Lil Wayne will later turn around to place a huge rock on a girlfriend to further establish their wealth, social status, and "property".
ReplyDeleteGreat point about how the rapper is stripped of all actual clothing, the bling signifier is all that remains. The power of the sign.
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